Milwaukee Bucks fans might have received an early Christmas present Friday.
Actually two.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis were not on the team’s injury report, giving the team hope that the two could return for the Christmas Day game against the COVID-19 ravaged Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo has been in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols since Dec. 14. He was required to be out a minimum of 10 days or after he produced two consecutive negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart.
The Bucks (21-13) have gone 3-2 in Antetokounmpo’s absence, the most recent a win over the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night, a team also hit by COVID-19.
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA Finals MVP and two-time league MVP, is averaging 27.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 blocks this season.
Portis scored 20 points in 28 minutes in the team’s 114-99 win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 15 — the first game Antetokounmpo missed — but the next day he entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
Wesley Matthews, who went into the health and safety protocols Dec. 11, returned to the team this week. Meanwhile, Donte DiVincenzo, who was expected to return from injury last week, remains in the protocol and is questionable for Saturday’s game. DiVincenzo was placed in the protocol Dec. 14.
Besides DiVincenzo, Brook Lopez was the only other player on the Bucks’ injury report Friday. Lopez had back surgery earlier this month and a timetable on his return is unknown.
While the Bucks improved their COVID-19 status, the Celtics continue to lose players.
Their injury list Friday resembled a child’s long Christmas list. It didn’t seem to end. Fourteen players were listed on the injury list, 12 of whom were in the league’s health and safety protocols. Just on Friday, five players were added to the protocols list. In total, eight will be out Saturday due to COVID-19 related issues. Another four players who are in the health and safety protocols enter the game as questionable.
Whether Antetokounmpo and Portis play Saturday is still unknown — they’ll have to go through a process on the court to return based on how they felt while out.
But not appearing on the injury report is a good sign for the Bucks and the NBA, a league dealing with a rash of COVID-19 outbreaks. The Brooklyn Nets have been devastated by COVID-19 over the last week and will be without star Kevin Durant for their Christmas Day showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bucks and Celtics are scheduled to tip off at 1:30 p.m. at Fiserv Forum.
Contact Christopher Kuhagen at (262) 446-6634 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @ckuhagen and our newsroom Instagram accounts at MyCommunityNow and Lake Country Now.
